Ice cooling medical device and method

ABSTRACT

An ice cooling apparatus and method therefor that comprise a number of ice pockets slideably attached to an adjustable strap for securing them in place around a wearer&#39;s body. By positioning the ice pockets on the painful areas, a wearer is assured of continuous contact and cooling effect, with the attendant benefits resulting from ice treatment. Because the apparatus is strapped around the wearer&#39;s body, it is not necessary to use one&#39;s hands to keep it in place, thus allowing the wearer to be freed from the usual constraint of having to hold the ice bag on the sore site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to the general field of medical devices andmethods for cooling body parts to alleviate pain and inflammation. Inparticular, it provides a new medical device and a new method especiallyuseful for the application of ice to the cheeks of a patient after oralsurgery or other dental procedure.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is common for dentists and oral surgeons to recommend the applicationof ice to the sore cheeks of a patient to reduce pain after oral surgeryor other major procedure. Typically, a patient will hold an ice pack onthe sore spot with one hand or will try to balance it in place whilelying down. In either case, the person's ability to function normally isimpaired by a certain loss of mobility. Therefore, it would be veryuseful and desirable to have a cooling device that could be worn arounda person's cheeks, thus freeing him or her from the aforementionedconstraints.

Several types of garments have been developed in the past to provide acooling effect to the body of people working in hot environments. Forexample, mine rescuers often perform their duty in areas near fires andmust wear heavily insulated protective gear. The addition of coolinggarments to their normal clothing helps alleviate heat stress problemsduring mine rescue operations.

The cooling function of these devices is produced by the presence ofcool water or ice in well placed reservoirs distributed throughout thegarment. In some models, cold water is circulated through the garment ina system of flexible tubes; in others, dry ice is used to maximize thecooling capacity of the garment. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,354 (1977), DeRosa discloses an ice cooling vest consisting of sealed pocketscontaining water and removably attached to the garment around the bodyof a wearer. These water-filled pockets are frozen and affixed to theinside of the vest to provide the desired cooling and are laterseparated to be frozen again for future use.

It does not appear that anyone has developed a cooling apparatus fordental patients in the form of a wearable garment. Therefore, a needstill exists for a practical device that provides the necessary coolingeffect on a continuous basis and that can be worn without impairing thewearer's ability to function normally.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide an ice coolingapparatus that can be strapped around a person's head and that does notrequire the use of the person's hands to continuously keep it in placeto apply ice to a painful area.

Another objective of the invention is that it be suitable for use byanyone, regardless of head size and facial characteristics.

Another goal of the invention is that the cooling apparatus be adaptablefor use on other parts of the body, such as strapped around an arm or aleg.

A further goal of the invention is that it be reusable, either bycharging it with new ice or by refreezing water-filled permanentpockets.

Still another objective of this invention is the realization of theabove mentioned goals in an economical and commercially viable manner.This is done by utilizing simple components and methods of manufacturethat are either already available in the open market or can be developedat competitive prices.

In accordance with these and other objectives, the ice cooling apparatusof this invention comprises a number of ice pockets slideably attachedto a adjustable strap for securing them in place around a wearer's faceor other part of the body. By positioning the ice pockets on the painfulareas, a wearer is assured of continuous contact and cooling effect,with the attendant benefits resulting from ice treatment. Because theapparatus is strapped around the wearer's body part, it is not necessaryto use one's hands to keep it in place, thus allowing the wearer to befreed from the usual constraint of having to hold the ice bag on thesore site.

Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clearfrom its description in the specifications that follow, and from thenovel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims.Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, thisinvention consists of the features hereinafter illustrated in thedrawings, fully described in the detailed description of the preferredembodiment and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, suchdrawings and description disclose only one of the various ways in whichthe invention may be practiced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the ice cooling apparatus ofthis invention, showing two ice pockets attached to a strap withfastening means at each end.

FIG. 2 is a view of the same embodiment of the invention taken from line2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one method of construction of the icepockets of this invention, such that their position can be adjusted tocontact the sore sites on the wearer's body.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a patient wearing the ice coolingapparatus of the invention to provide cooling around his cheeks.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a patient wearing the ice coolingapparatus of the invention to provide cooling on her forehead.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a patient wearing the ice coolingapparatus of the invention to provide cooling around an arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The heart of this invention lies in the novel approach adopted to applyice to a patient after oral surgery or other injuries requiring asimilar procedure. Since the condition of the patient may not permit himor her alone to effectively keep the ice on the pain area for therequired period of time, the apparatus of this invention can be worn toproduce the desired result without anyone's help. In addition, thewearer's hands are kept free and he or she can, therefore, be activewithout unnecessary constraints.

Referring to the drawings, wherein the same numerals and symbols areused throughout to designate like parts, a plan view of one embodimentof the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The ice cooling apparatus 10comprises a strap 20 of sufficient length to wrap around a wearer'shead, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Fastening means 22, preferably of thefiber loop type, normally sold under the trademark "Velcro," are affixedto each end of the strap for easy interconnection to form a tightcontinuous loop. Ice pockets 30 for the retention of ice or other coldmedia are slideably attached to the strap 20 by way of loops 32 in theice pocket through which the strap is threaded. A strip of double-sidedadhesive tape 34, or other equivalent device, is provided between theinside surface of each loop 32 and the strap 20 in order to retain eachpocket in place after it has been slided to the desired position for theproper point of contact after placement on the user's head or other bodypart.

As shown in detail in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3, each icepocket 30 consists of a first, outer, plastic bag 36 containing asecond, inner, plastic bag 35. Both bags can be closed to form a sealedenclosure by means of the type known by the trademark "Ziploc" or by anyother, equivalent, closure. The strap loops 32 are formed by cutting twoparallel incisions in one side of the outer bag 36, so that the strap 20can be inserted therethrough in the same manner that a belt is passedthrough belt loops. Before application to a wearer's cheeks (or otherbody part) for treatment, the inner bag 35 is filled with ice pieces 40,or with any other cooling medium, such as dry ice. Alternatively, theice bag 35 could itself be a water-filled sealed ice bag to be frozenbefore use. Although the embodiment shown in the figures features twoice pockets, it is understood that such number could be increased ordecreased to fit the need of the user simply by inserting more or lessice pockets through the strap 20.

In use, the ice cooling apparatus 10 of this invention can be applied tothe face of a person P by wrapping it around the head with the icepockets 30 against the cheeks on the inside of the strap 20, asillustrated in FIG. 4. If the direct contact of the ice pockets with thewearer's face produces too much cold for comfort, the apparatus 10 canbe worn with the ice pocket on the outside of the strap, so that thecold medium will be less directly in contact with the person's skin and,therefore, more comfortable for long periods of wear. FIGS. 5 and 6illustrate the use of the ice cooling apparatus in similar applicationson a wearer's forehead and arm.

While the described preferred embodiment consists of disposable plasticbags and a "Velcro®"- fitted strap, it is understood that manyequivalent designs are possible within the scope of the invention. Themost important characteristics include the adjustability of the positionof the ice pockets, their waterproofness, and the overall lightness ofthe apparatus. Those skilled in the art could easily design otherembodiments of the invention with alternative components, such as sealedice bags removably attached to a strap through a continuous strip offiber loop fastener fitted along the length of the strap.

Thus, various changes in the details, steps and materials that have beendescribed ma be made by those skilled in the art within the principlesand scope of the invention herein illustrated and defined in theappended claims. While the present invention has been shown anddescribed herein in what is believed to be the most practical andpreferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures can be madetherefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not tobe limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded thefull scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalentapparatus and methods.

We claim:
 1. A garment for alleviating pan in areas of the body of awearer through cold treatment, comprising:(a) means for retaining a coldmedium in a waterproof condition; and (b) means for strapping said meansfor retaining a cold medium around the wearer's body in contact with theareas requiring cold treatment, said means for retaining a cold mediumcomprises at least one ice pocket slideably attached to said strappingmeans; and said strapping means comprises a strap to wrap around adesired portion of the wearer's body, with fastening means affixed toeach of two ends of said strap for easy interconnection to form a tightcontinuous loop, said ice pocket comprises a first outer bag containinga second inner bag, each bag being capable of forming a sealedenclosure; and wherein a strap loop is formed in said outer bag bycutting two parallel incisions in one side of the outer bag, so thatsaid strap can be inserted therethrough for retention and slidableadjustment of the ice pocket, an inside surface of said strap loopincludes a strip of double-sided adhesive tape in order to retain saidice pocket in place after it has been slided to a desired position alongsaid strap for proper contact with pan areas after placement on theuser's body.
 2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said fasteningmeans affixed to each end of said strap for easy interconnection thereofconsists of fiber loop fasteners.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid inner bag is formed of plastic and has a rib and groove sealingportion.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein both said inner plastic bagand said larger bag have a rib and groove portion, said outer bag beingformed of plastic.
 5. A method of alleviating pain in areas of aperson's body by cold treatment, comprising the following steps:(a)providing means for retaining a cold medium in a waterproof condition;(b) providing means for strapping said means for retaining a cold mediumaround the person's body in contact with the areas requiring coldtreatment; (c) securing a cold medium into said retaining means; and (d)wrapping said strapping means around the portion of the body of theperson with said retaining means in direct contact with the areasrequiring cold treatment, said means for retaining a cold mediumcomprises at least one ice pocket slideably attached to said strappingmeans; and said strapping means comprises a strap to wrap around adesired portion of the wearer's body, with fastening means affixed toeach of two ends of said strap for easy interconnection to form a tightcontinuous loop, said ice pocket comprises a firs outer bag containing asecond inner bag, each bag being capable of forming a sealed enclosure;and wherein a strap loop is formed in said outer bag by cutting twoparallel incisions in one side of the outer bag, so that said strap canbe inserted therethrough for retention and slidable adjustment of theice pocket, an inside surface of said strap loop includes a strip ofdouble-sided adhesive tape in order to retain said ice pocket in placeafter it has been slided to a desired position along said strap forproper contact with pair areas after placement on the person's body. 6.The method of claim 5 wherein said inner bag is formed of plastic andhas a rib and groove sealing portion.
 7. The method of claim 6 whereinboth said inner plastic bag and said larger bag have a rib and groovesealing portion, said outer bag being formed of plastic.